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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

REVIEW: Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz

Pub: June 21st 2011 by HarlequinTeen

Review Copy : ebook (personal koboVox)

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Connor, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else

....

Wow did I love Spellbound! This is one of those straight up romantic books where you end up falling completely in love with the characters.

Emma Conner has just moved to New York City to live with her aunt. She’s had a really rough few years. Both her twin brother and then her mother died, leaving Emma in the care of her alcoholic and abusive stepfather.

When Emma first arrives in New York she’s still recovering from the car accident that made her a cautionary tale in Keansburg, the small town she’d grown up in. Emma keeps her past a secret from the other kids in her new, elite private school because she doesn’t want to be judged or labelled by her past.

Emma doesn’t fit in with most of the kids. She makes a couple of friends, including Ashley, her younger cousin, Cisco, a boy in her class and Angelique, who is even more an outcast then Emma. Angelique claims to be a witch and is considered a freak by the other kids at school. There is also a super sleazy guy named Anthony, who hits on Emma and makes her uncomfortable the first day of school and Kristin, a snob who doesn’t like Emma. Lastly there is Brendan Salinger. He’s rich, athletic and amazingly good looking. Emma feels a powerful draw towards Brendan, but assumes every girl must feel the way she does, since, really, Brendan being Brendan, how could they not?

Strange things start happening and both Emma and Brendan begin realise that they are part of a magical story that started between them lifetimes ago.

Emma and Brendan have to figure out who or what is trying to warn Emma, what Emma needs to be warned about and how Emma and Brendan can break the curse that has doomed them over and over again.

The beginning of Spellbound is mostly relationship development between Emma and Brendan with Emma trying to figure out what all the strange supernatural signs that keep appearing mean. Making friends with a witch helps keep the plot moving along quickly since Emma saves time having to figure things that Angelique already knows all about. Angelique was a great character for this book. With so many unbelievable things happening to Emma she needed a friend who was predisposed to understand everything that was happening.

Towards the end of the book, the action really picks up and the non romance story gets really exciting. We know something big is going to happen, but we don't know when or how. The tension created by the waiting makes putting this book down really hard to do. The final action scenes were really exciting and intense.

Brendan is amazing. He seems perfect, but, as we eventually learn, there is a reason why he is just so perfect. I really liked this detail. The reasons behind Brendan’s good looks and strength added an interesting twist. But, at the same time, I really enjoyed reading a supernatural romance in which neither of the two main characters was a supernatural creature. They are (more or less) human. Yes they are a little more, but for the most part I’d call them plain old human kids.

I absolutely loved the romance between Emma and Brendan. If you want a love story read this book. You’ll be very satisfied with what you get. You get a fantastic romance but with a twist.

The tension the curse adds to the romance between Emma and Brendan and keeps the story flying along. I didn’t want to put this book down, I just wanted to know what would happen next and how this book would end.

Overall, Spellbound was a great read. The plot is rooted in the love story so if you are looking for a solid romance with mystery on the side, this is the book for you.

Happy Reading!

Book two of the Spellbound Series, Spellcaster will be out March 27thcheck back on Friday for the early review